Resources
Everything you need before you enrol
The checklist below is the single most useful thing on this website. Print it, work through it, and you will move through assessment considerably faster than someone who does not.
Links & tools
Official sources, not our summaries of them
Where a government or industry body publishes the authoritative version, we link to it rather than paraphrase it. Requirements change and we would rather you saw the current page.
Create or find your USI
A Unique Student Identifier is free, takes about five minutes, and every Australian RTO requires one. If you have had a USI before, retrieve it rather than creating a second.
usi.gov.auSmart and Skilled (NSW)
The NSW Government programme subsidising training toward qualifications on the NSW Skills List. Eligibility rules and the Skills List both change, so check the current page.
nsw.gov.auPrintable
RPL document checklist
Tick these off before your assessment. Bring the lot in one go rather than in dribs and drabs — it is the single biggest factor in how quickly your application moves.
Certification Made Easy
RPL Document Checklist
Bring these to your Recognition of Prior Learning assessment.
admin@certificationmadeeasy.com.au
Sydney, NSW
Part A — Identity & administration
- 100 points of identification. A standard Australian ID combination — typically a passport or birth certificate plus a driver licence and one or two secondary documents.
- Permanent visa or Australian passport. Evidence of your residency status. Required for every RPL application.
- Résumé. Must include a current contact number and email address, and should list employers with dates — assessors read the dates carefully.
- USI (Unique Student Identifier). Free from usi.gov.au. Nothing proceeds without it. Retrieve an existing one rather than creating a second.
- Payment arrangements. Confirmed with your RTO at enrolment. Ask about instalment options if you need them.
Part B — Evidence of your skills
- Work-related reference letter. On company letterhead, from a supervisor, builder, manager or repeat client. It must describe the specific work you performed, not what a pleasant person you are.
- Qualification papers. Any certificates you hold, Australian or overseas. Overseas documents generally need certified translations.
- Tickets and licences. White Card, first aid, working at heights, forklift, refrigerant handling, Working with Children Check — whatever applies.
- Photographic evidence. Dated where possible, showing stages of work rather than only finished results. Particularly powerful in the trades.
- Work samples. Plans you worked from, documents or programmes you produced, reports you authored. Remove confidential client and commercial information first.
- Employment records. Payslips, contracts, position descriptions, or ABN and BAS records if you are self-employed.
- Performance reviews. Especially useful for management, care and supervisory qualifications where responsibility needs evidencing.
Note. Certification Made Easy is not a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). We operate solely as a consulting agency, providing advisory and referral services to our clients through our trusted RTO partners. Assessment against these documents is performed by the RTO. Requirements can vary slightly between providers and qualifications — we will confirm yours before your assessment.
Get it checked
Not sure your evidence is strong enough?
Send us what you have. We will tell you honestly whether it will carry an RPL application, and what is missing if it will not.